Death Before Dishonor
by kendertears
Summary: What happens when Sheppard and his team gate to a planet that doesn't let strangers leave.
1. Chapter 1

John smiled as he looked around at the quiet meadow surrounding him. He lowered his P-90 and studied the area. The Stargate stood in the center of a large field surrounded on all sides by thick trees. The area immediately around the gate looked well cared for. Huge stone pillars stood in a ring around the gate with a paved walkway leading up to the gate.

"Well someone takes care of the place," John glanced back at his team who were also looking around the area.

"Hmm, yet another undeveloped planet," Rodney muttered.

"Samuels, Baker you're on gate duty. The rest of you let's look around," John started walking across the field.

"I doubt we're going to find anything at all. From the readings that I'm getting there's nothing here that's worth looking for," Rodney stated.

"Well then it may make a good alpha site or a place for refugees to settle," John pointed out.

"I have more important things to be doing than going on nature hikes," Rodney muttered.

"McKay quit complaining and tell me what you're reading."

"Life signs all over the place which is normal since we're standing next to a forest."

"Let me know if anything strange shows up," John replied as he stepped into the tree line with Rodney right behind him. Teyla and Ronon followed close behind.

"So you two know anything about this planet?" John looked back at Teyla and Ronon.

"I have never met anyone who came from this planet," Teyla answered.

"I don't think so," Ronon replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rodney looked over at him.

"That the stones looked familiar."

"So you've been here before?" John glanced back at Ronon.

"No, on Telos the gate is within sight of the capital city," Ronon kept his gaze on the forest around them.

"Perhaps the people of this planet are similar to the people of Telos," Teyla suggested.

"I hope not," Ronan muttered.

"Why?" John glanced back at him.

"Because the Telosians do not take kindly to strangers."

"How unkindly do they take to strangers?" John stopped.

"Well they'll kill us before we leave the planet," Ronan replied.

"But you said you've never been to this address, so this can't be Telos, right?" John looked back at Ronan.

"The Telosians never told anyone their gate address. We would meet them on a planet and then they would blindfold us and dial the gate," Ronan answered.

"Why would they do that?" Rodney asked.

"Because if no one knows where you're from they can't tell the Wraith where to find you," Ronan looked back at the three who were all staring at him.

"So this could be a planet full of people who really do not want us to be here and will kill us if they find us?" John started to raise his weapon.

"I would put that down Sheppard," Ronan dropped his gun onto the ground.

"Ronan what are you doing?" John demanded.

"Trying not to get killed," Ronan put both his hands in the air.

"Sheppard there are people in the trees," Rodney pointed up into the branches.

John looked and could see what he hadn't before. They were surrounded. Men crouched on thick tree branches all around them. There were at least twenty that he could count and he had the distinct impression that more men were hiding just out of sight in the leafy trees. John cursed silently and started trying to form a plan to get back to the gate without getting killed.


	2. Chapter 2

John stepped backwards toward the rest of his team. If what Ronan said about these people never letting strangers leave was true they were about to be facing a lot of trouble.

"Can we make it back to the gate?" John murmured.

"No, it would be better to just put down your weapons," Ronan kept his hands in the air.

"I would prefer to not get captured at all," John kept his P-90 raised.

"That is not possible stranger," a voice called from the trees somewhere John's left.

"Let us leave and we won't come back. We didn't know that you didn't welcome strangers," John called trying to spot the person speaking so he could attempt to negotiate his way off the planet.

"It matters not, outsiders are not allowed to leave," the voice replied this time sounding from his right.

"I didn't know the Telosians were so cowardly that they hid in trees," Ronan called.

"Are you trying to make them angry?" Rodney snapped.

"No," Ronan watched as a figure dropped out of the trees landing lightly in front of John.

John stared at the woman in front of him in awe. Dark blue eyes stared at him coldly from a face the color of porcelain. Her black hair was intricately braided with thin bands of leather around her head. A silver band wrapped around her left arm from shoulder to elbow, the only decoration on the brown leather armor she wore.

"You dare call me coward, Satedan," the woman looked past him to Ronan. Her voice was strong and confident. She did not seem to even notice the gun John held pointed at her. She held no weapon in her hand and the only one John could see was a dagger hanging at her waist.

"That's not what he meant," John lowered his P-90 so that it pointed at her abdomen instead of her chest.

"I was not speaking to you outsider but to the Satedan," her blue eyes flashed onto John for only a moment.

"What is your rank that you would seize a friend of the Telosians?" Ronan asked.

"I am Nuhtal. You should have known not to come here, Specialist Ronan Dex" she replied.

"I was never told the address for your planet," Ronan answered.

"The Ketal will decide your fate. You are our prisoners, come peacefully or we will take you by force," the Nuhtal started to turn.

"Now just a minute. We just want to leave, our people will come looking for us if we don't come back," John raised his gun.

"Your people will not be able to dial the gate as it has been disabled," she looked at his gun.

"What about my men at the gate?" John asked.

"They are being held by my men who await orders. You will come even if we are forced to bind you. You are vastly outnumbered and would only die by attempting to force your way back to the gate which would be a worthless way to die," the Nuhtal looked at him.

"Yeah but if we get back to the gate we can leave so I don't think going back to the gate to be worthless," John countered.

"Ah, I see your scientist did not examine the controls to the gate before you began to roam our woods. That would explain why you left your men behind."

"Why would I examine the controls?" Rodney demanded.

"To make sure that the gate was capable of dialing out," Ronan muttered.

"Well of course it can dial out, unless..."

"Rodney?"

"Well it could be possible that the gate could be modified so that it could only be dialed," Rodney answered, "But then it would be impossible to leave unless they have two gates on the same planet."

"Your scientist is not as ignorant as he appears," she turned away from them.

"Let's try to talk about this," John reached out and grabbed her arm. Before he could realize that he had made a huge mistake he was lying on his back with a gun quite similar to Ronan's pointed at his face. The Nuhtal had one knee pressed into his chest and held the gun in question.

"You will come with us. Alive or dead, it matters not. Outsiders do not leave our world. Now will you come quietly or should I kill you now?" her blue eyes flashed at him.

"I'll come," John held his hands up.

"If you should change your mind once you are let up you will be killed so I ask again will you come quietly?"

"May his dishonor be mine," Ronan said. The Nuhtal looked away from John. He saw a look of surprise cross her face before it was hidden behind a emotionless mask.

"You understand what that means Specialist Ronan Dex?" the Nuhtal asked.

"Yes."

"Very well," the Nuhtal stood and put the gun in a holster on her back that John hadn't noticed before. She turned away from them and at a word several soldiers stepped forward and bound their hands behind their backs.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry it's been so long since an update. Life's been crazy the past month and is looking to be staying that way for a bit. I'll update as often as possible. Please read and review, constructive criticism is highly appreciated. Again sorry for the delay. Now without further ado, let the story continue._

* * *

Ronan walked behind the rest of the team. He wasn't surprised that he wasn't bound the way the rest of the team was. He had fought with the Nuhtal before and the Satedans had long ago earned the respect of the Telosians. He knew with relative certainty that he would be able to walk away from Telos should he choose too. He, however, didn't know if he could get the rest of his team out of this because even though he was a respected ally Sheppard and the others were strangers and the Telosians never let outsiders leave.

"How are we going to get out of this?" Ronan was pulled from his thoughts and noticed that John was now walking next to him.

"No idea," Ronan answered. John noticed that the Satedan wasn't bound the way that he was.

"Why aren't you tied up?" John asked after noticing that Teyla and Rodney also were.

"I'm not an outsider," Ronan answered with a shrug.

"Can you talk them into lettings us go?" John looked over at him. Ronan shook his head slightly and kept walking.

John tried to think of a way out of this. Ronan was the only one who was not bound and still had weapons. John wouldn't ask Ronan to risk his life on the off chance that somehow they could overpower the twenty visible trained warriors and then the warriors hidden in the forest around them. More than once he instinctively glanced to the side when he thought he saw movement but each time he only saw only trees and underbrush. Despite not seeing them though he knew that there were more warriors following them through the forest.

They soon came to a wide smooth path through the trees and came to a halt. John saw the Nuhtal speaking quickly to another warrior; she gestured down the path. As she stopped speaking the warrior ran down the path away from them.

The Nuhtal gave swift orders in her native tongue and the warriors positioned themselves around the area leaving the group in the center of the large circle. The Telosian warriors stood still as statues once they reached their position. The Nuhtal looked at them briefly, "We will wait here for word from the Keetal." She turned away from them and looked down the path were the warrior had disappeared.

A moment later four warriors appeared with Samuels and Baker between them. They moved the two into the center of the ring and moved out of sight into the trees. Samuels and Baker were both bound and from the looks of it had put up a fight against the Telosians. Samuels left eye was swollen shut and there was a trail of dried blood from his nose to his chin. Baker's nose was much more crooked than John remembered it being and the skin around his eyes was turning purple. Teyla quickly walked over to where they had dropped to their knees.

"You guys alright?" John asked as he squatted next to them.

"Sorry sir they came out of no where," Samuels looked at the ground.

"Don't worry about it, as you can see they caught us too," John gave him a half grin, "At least you put up a fight, she just knocked me down." They all fell silent, each wondering what was going to happen to them.

"Specialist," they all looked over to where the Nuhtal stood just outside the ring of soldiers. Ronan looked down at John.

"Well go on, you don't wanna piss her off," John waved his bound hands toward her. He noticed the Nuhtal's expression change slightly at Ronan's obvious subordination to John.

Ronan walked over to her. They exchanged what John thought would be the Telosian version of shaking hands and then she began to speak to him in her own language. Ronan spoke hesitantly as though he wasn't sure of the words when he answered. She gestured to the group of them as she spoke. Ronan pointed to John and the Nuhtal looked at him skeptically.

"Sheppard," Ronan stated. The Nuhtal said something to him that John was almost sure was asking why the Satedan took orders from him. After a few more minutes of conversation Ronan walked over to him.

"She wants to talk to you," Ronan stated plainly. John looked over at the woman.

"What's she want?" John glanced back at Ronan.

"She wants to talk to the leader of our group," Ronan answered.

"Alright, anything I should know about?" John asked. Ronan shook his head in reply and John started over to where she was standing, the warriors blocking his way parted to let him pass without a word or glance. The Nuhtal had turned her back to the group of people and was again looking down the path. She didn't even glance at John as he stopped next to her. "Ronan said you wanted to talk to me."

"This is the path to our capital. It has been many generations since blood has been shed upon this path," she sighed, "It had been many years since we have taken strangers from the Stargate. The fall of Sateda was the last time so many came through. But now in the past two years many have come here, most with no idea that upon entering our land they may never leave. They find peace here though and we give them work to accomplish and earn their way."

"We mean no harm to your people, we're looking for friends and allies against the Wraith," John looked down at her. She stood several inches shorter than him but she was still intimidating. Her confidence was obvious in the way she stood, her back was straight and her head held high. Standing close to her he could see runes carved into the silver band she wore around her arm. The runes looked familiar to him but he couldn't read them so he turned his attention back to the Nuhtal's words.

"The Telosians do not need allies against the Wraith."

"Why don't you need allies against the Wraith?"

"The Wraith suffered many losses the last time they attempted to attack Telos. They see no reason to come back. Their losses were not worth the gain."

"They wipe out any other race that opposes them, why is yours different?"

"The scientists of Telos long ago found a way to make sure the Wraith do not attempt to cull us as they do others. We are safe here from their attacks."

"Why don't you help the people on the other worlds then?"

"We are a strong people but the Wraith are a patient race. Their lives span centuries, and we are as mortal as your people. We have seen the destruction the Wraith have caused on other worlds that were defended by strong warriors, like Sateda. We stay here to protect those of our people who are not warriors; the children who hope one day to bring their family honor, those who once were warriors that now live in peace, the scientists and doctors, the mothers who care for the warriors to be and those that have not yet come to be in our world."

"But there are hundreds of thousands of people on other worlds that your people could help, cultures that your people could keep from being wiped out."

"You would have us wipe out their culture instead Sheppard?"

"They're evil life sucking aliens! They treat humans like animals that they raise and then slaughter."

"On your planet do you not raise animals for the purpose of killing them for nourishment?"

"That's different!"

"How so? Humans eat animals and to the Wraith we are animals."

"Humans are different from animals though. We have cultures and societies."

"Just because we do not understand the societies of those we consider animals does not mean that they do not have it. Yet we still hunt them and kill them for nourishment."

"You're missing the point."

"No Sheppard I believe it is you who are missing the point. The Wraith have the right to exist just as we have. They should not enslave all the people in our stars but we have no more right to eliminate their culture than they do to ours."

"Your people would let the Wraith keep culling every other planet?"

"The Wraith are many and we are only one world Sheppard. I grow weary of debate though. You will meet with the Keetal and he will decide what your fate will be."

"We have to go back to our planet, I'm the military commander of Atlantis, I have to go back," John had looked away from her so he didn't see the look on her face when he mentioned Atlantis.

"You are from Atlantis?" she asked quietly.

"If we were would you let us go?"

"That is not my decision to make."

"We come from the city of Atlantis."

"Are you and your people Lantean?"

"Some of us are many generations removed from the Lanteans and carry the gene that is required to make their technology function."

"The Lanteans abandoned their city ten thousand years ago."

"They traveled to our planet in another galaxy when they left Atlantis."

"You come from Earth?" the Nuhtal's gaze did not shift from the path ahead of her as she spoke words that caused John's jaw to drop slightly.


	4. Chapter 4

"You know about Earth?" John looked down at her in shock. They had met no one who had known about their galaxy, let alone their planet.

"You are not the only descendants of the Lanteans," she answered with a small smile.

"So the Ancients came to your planet after Atlantis fell too?"

"Every Telosian can trace their family line to Atlantis, Sheppard. Many Lanteans did not wish too travel to your galaxy leaving behind the colonies they had nurtured so they came here. Many already lived here and now we are what is left of what many in this galaxy call the Ancestors. My warrior returns with word from the Keetal, return to your people Sheppard."

"Okay then," he turned to go.

"Sheppard," she looked over at him as he stopped. She pulled her knife out and cut the rope binding his hands.

"Thanks," he smiled at her as he flexed his hands to stretch the muscles.

"You are not bound only because Ronan Dex has given me his word of honor that you will not attempt to escape. Should you try to escape his life is forfeit by our laws. Your's would not be but I will kill you anyway for dishonoring Ronan Dex," she turned and began to talk to the warrior who had come up the path. John went back over to his team.

"Lovely personality that one," he muttered.

"Threaten to kill you?" Ronan asked with a small smirk.

"Yeah, you and Nuhtal must be great friends."

"Alexisanna is her name. Nuhtal is her rank. Only two people on Telos can give her orders. Her good opinion will go far with the Keetal."

"She thinks highly of you. Said she kill me if I dishonored you."

"We've fought together before."

"So that girl is high ranking military?" Rodney looked at the Nuhtal in disbelief.

"She's tougher than she looks," Ronan responded. They all looked over as she walked up to them.

"So how about untying the rest of us?" Rodney held up his hands. The petite woman looked at Ronan.

"They won't try anything," Ronan answered her unspoken question.

"You would stake your life on these people?" the Nuhtal looked towards Rodney skeptically. Ronan only nodded in response.

"Very well," she nodded and two warriors stepped forward quickly cutting their bonds. "The Keetal waits for us. Come." She turned and began down the path. They followed behind her surrounded by warriors. They did not seem concerned that they were no longer bound. John fell into step next to Ronan.

"Any ideas on how to get out of this?" John asked.

"There is no way unless they let us leave. The gate is heavily guarded and then there's the soldiers in the city itself," Ronan answered.

"Perhaps they will allow us to leave if we can convince them that we are not a threat to their people," Teyla suggested.

"We're not a threat. They never thought we were."

"She said they were all descended from the Ancients," John mentioned.

"They use the same technology and wait till you see the city," Ronan smirked.

"What about it?"

"You'll see."

"Sheppard." John looked up and saw the Nuhtal looking back at him. "Come I feel I should tell you how things will proceed when we reach the city." John walked up to her.

"So what do I need to know?"

"You will be taken before the Keetal, it will be a private audience so only the Keetal and Nuhkee will be present besides myself. You will be the only one allowed to speak since you are the leader of the group. Only answer questions, do not volunteer information that is not requested. Answer quickly and succintly. Do not forget you are a prisoner and that they lives of your people rest on you."

"Yeah that's something I can't forget. What happens if one of the others talks?"

"They will be made so that they cannot speak."

"How?"

"Sometimes a gag is enough, other times it is necessary to render them unconscious."

John smiled slightly at the thought of Rodney trying not to talk through the whole audience. "What will happen to us?"

"That is not my decision to make."

"I know that, but what do you think will happen?"

"I am unsure, you are strangers but you come with a respected ally. The worst fate you can suffer is to become a servant here. You will not be executed but allowed to live out your days in the peace of our cities but that is for the Keetal to decide."

"Servant?"

"You will each work for someone that specializes in your area of expertise. You are military correct?"

"Yeah."

"You would be servant to a military official. None of our servants have cause for complaint. They are treated well and compensated fairly. Servant merely is a way to define that you once were an outsider and therefore cannot raise above a certain point in the social structure."

"So no beatings or sleeping on the floor?"

"No, our servants are all quite content. They are active members of the society and feel that any loss of status they have suffered is outweighed by the protection they acquire from the Wraith."

"I bet they do."

"The Keetal is wise and honorable, he will judge fairly. We are here," she stopped as the path came out of the trees. John looked down at the city in shock.

They stood at the top of a large hill looking down on a vast plain. Far in the distance mountains rose into the air making the horizon jagged and gray. The city sprawled beneath them surrounding a large lake. The city went right up to the water's edge. Bridges crossed the lake at six points spanning the gap between the city on land and the center of the city which rested in the lake.

"But the center looks just like Atlantis," John murmured.

"Yes, the center of our capital city is identical to the lost city."

"How many cities like Atlantis are there?" John asked.

"That is none of your concern at this time."

"Ronan said that your gate was within sight of the capital city not in the building itself," John looked at the Nuhtal.

"The gate in the spire has been disabled and is never used. The gate Ronan Dex speaks of is there." she pointed to the west and there in the distance they could see the stone columns that surrounded the gate.

"So you have three Stargates?" Rodney asked.

"There are more gates than these. Only one can be dialed from other planets. Anyone coming onto the planet must come to the capital."

"How did you get so many gates?" Rodney demanded.

"We have lived here many years and our people are descended from the Lanteans, who as you know built the gates. Come we have lingered long enough. The Keetal must not be kept waiting," The Nuhtal began down the path and the rest followed.


End file.
